Madferret
7-07-05, 7:20 PM
Carolina is positioned well for a free-agent bonanza with just eight players under contract
By LUKE DECOCK, Staff Writer
It could be this week. It could be next week. It almost certainly will be before the end of the month. But it is coming.
In short order, the NHL is expected to unveil its peace treaty with the NHL Players' Association, one predicated on the salary cap the players said they never would accept. After a lockout that wiped out the 2004-05 season and savaged a sport already struggling for fans, hockey talk once again will focus on wins and losses on the ice instead of at the collective-bargaining table.
The signs are everywhere rancor between the negotiators has been replaced by the quiet of scratching pens amid 12-hour bargaining sessions; Philadelphia Flyers center Jeremy Roenick is ranting again, venting his displeasure with the inevitable; the Toronto media already have awarded the Stanley Cup to the Maple Leafs.
ROSTER OVERHAUL
The Hurricanes have eight players under contract for 2005-06 at a total of about $12.4 million after the across-the-board 24 percent pay cut expected as part of the NHL's new collective bargaining agreement. The regulations for re-signing restricted free agents will be determined by the new CBA.
UNDER CONTRACT
SALARY AFTER 24 PERCENT PAY CUT
Rod Brind'Amour C $3.8 million
Martin Gerber G $1.1 million
Bret Hedican D $2.4 million
Frantisek Kaberle D $1.3 million
Eric Staal C $942,000
Niclas Wallin D $836,000
Aaron Ward D $1.5 million
Cam Ward G $570,000
EXPIRED AFTER 2003-04 SEASON
Josef Vasicek C
EXPIRED AFTER 2004-05 SEASON
Kevyn Adams C
Ryan Bayda LW
J. Boulerice RW
Pavel Brendl RW
Erik Cole RW
Matt Cullen C
Marty Murray C
Jeff O'Neill RW
Allan Rourke D
B. St. Jacques D
Radim Vrbata RW
x-Glen Wesley D
Justin Williams RW
Mike Zigomanis C
Carolina Hurricanes forward Kevyn Adams, the team's NHLPA player representative, has been working out at his offseason home in upstate New York and plans to start skating soon with a group of Buffalo-based NHLers.
"From what I'm hearing, they've continued to make progress over the last few weeks and they're getting extremely close to getting this thing done," Adams said. "They can't rush it because there are so many details they have to cover. They can't miss anything.
"All of us are optimistic we'll get a deal done. We're all preparing for a season next year."
Even when a deal is done, there is another hurdle to clear. Both the NHL's Board of Governors and the NHLPA membership will have to ratify the deal. While it's a no-brainer for the league, many within the union are waiting to see the terms in detail before they agree to the cap.
"There are so many things firing around, you don't know what to believe," Hurricanes forward Erik Cole said. "There are a couple different scenarios out there. You really don't know."
Either way, the NHL that fans once knew is dead forever. In its place, a new league with a new economic system and new rules will emerge this fall. Will it be better? That remains to be seen. Look for:
* The shootout to end tied games, after a few minutes of four-on-four overtime and a few minutes of three-on-three overtime.
"For us to have a shootout and to know that at some point ESPN will be carrying it as the decisive factor of a game, that's huge," said Hurricanes defenseman Aaron Ward. "In Europe, people stayed in their seats to watch the shootout if it was a tight game. I'm all about it -- especially because I'm not going to be one of the players chosen to take the breakaway."
* A salary cap that requires teams to spend between approximately $25 million and $40 million on payroll. In 2003-04, the Hurricanes spent about $39 million; the Detroit Red Wings spent about $77 million.
* A one-time buyout plan to allow over-the-cap teams to shed salaries, with the proviso that players who are cut loose cannot re-sign with the same team.
* The biggest free-agent bazaar in NHL history. Between expired contracts, free-agency changes and the buyout rule, the market will be flooded with players -- reshaping rosters and scrambling address books.
* A competition committee composed of four active players, four general managers and one owner, replacing the GMs and NHL hockey-operations department as the primary arbiters of rule changes.
* Smaller equipment on goaltenders, particularly on their upper bodies.
* New on-ice markings to allow passing into the offensive zone from farther back on the ice, to prevent goalies from playing the puck in front of their net and to increase the size of the neutral zone.
* The acceptance of long-debated changes such as no-touch icing and tag-up offsides.
* A weighted draft lottery to determine draft order, with Sidney Crosby, a player some scouts compare to Wayne Gretzky, the prize at No. 1.
Not all change will be radical. The goals, for example, will be the same size after experiments earlier this summer failed to generate momentum for change. But the alterations to the game will likely be outshined this summer by the changes to rosters.
When the dust settles, Carolina's roster could look substantially different than it did at the end of 2004, and the Hurricanes won't be alone in that regard.
The Canes have been expecting this for years, signing few players beyond the 2003-04 season with an eye to maximum financial flexibility in an auction-block scenario. They have eight players under contract for next season, at a post-rollback total of around $12.4 million. Factoring in rough estimates of restricted free-agent deals, they would enter the auction with a payroll at about $19 million for 18 players.
"We're in a good position to be flexible to make decisions not only on future players that we can consider bringing here, but on present players as far as where they fit into our pay scale," Carolina general manager Jim Rutherford said.
"As far as that goes, we've positioned ourselves pretty well, but it's hard to say how well because we don't know exactly what the system is. What is the floor? What is the ceiling? Given what we know so far, we feel pretty good about where we are."
There will be new faces even before the free-agent bonanza. Cam Ward, the Canes' first-round draft pick in 2002, will be part of an all-new goalie tandem with Martin Gerber. And 2004 first-round pick Andrew Ladd may follow 2003 first-round pick Eric Staal's quick path to the NHL after an outstanding junior playoff campaign.
Look for the Canes to use their hoarded cap space to sign a few forwards with offensive ability and at least one capable right-shot defenseman, with free-agent center Jason Allison also a possibility. Allison is close to Canes coach Peter Laviolette and met with the team last summer, but hasn't played since January 2003 because of a series of head injuries.
Where they'll fall in the cap range is uncertain, but Rutherford cautioned not to expect the Canes to spend the limit.
"Our direction is to run a business in the future without losses, a break-even business," Rutherford said. "It's a difficult projection without knowing the CBA and revenue sharing. The same as any business, we make projections on revenue. It's a little more difficult for us, not having a business running the prior year."
Still, the Canes hope that eliminating the disparities between low-spending teams like Carolina and high-spending teams like Toronto will result in a more competitive atmosphere at the RBC Center. In seven seasons in North Carolina, the Hurricanes have won two division titles, but have made the playoffs only three times with an overall record of 227-241-86-20 and no 40-win seasons.
Either way, the battle that kept the game off the ice all season is expected to be settled soon. There will be a salary cap in the NHL, one that the players who fought against it have come to accept.
"There were a lot of people asking questions, confused, because of where there was a stand made before," Adams said. "The reality of the situation was that we as players and owners and management had to come together and make this league better. We couldn't focus on systemic issues as much as we needed to focus on what's best for all of us and the game. That's how it got to where it did."
By LUKE DECOCK, Staff Writer
It could be this week. It could be next week. It almost certainly will be before the end of the month. But it is coming.
In short order, the NHL is expected to unveil its peace treaty with the NHL Players' Association, one predicated on the salary cap the players said they never would accept. After a lockout that wiped out the 2004-05 season and savaged a sport already struggling for fans, hockey talk once again will focus on wins and losses on the ice instead of at the collective-bargaining table.
The signs are everywhere rancor between the negotiators has been replaced by the quiet of scratching pens amid 12-hour bargaining sessions; Philadelphia Flyers center Jeremy Roenick is ranting again, venting his displeasure with the inevitable; the Toronto media already have awarded the Stanley Cup to the Maple Leafs.
ROSTER OVERHAUL
The Hurricanes have eight players under contract for 2005-06 at a total of about $12.4 million after the across-the-board 24 percent pay cut expected as part of the NHL's new collective bargaining agreement. The regulations for re-signing restricted free agents will be determined by the new CBA.
UNDER CONTRACT
SALARY AFTER 24 PERCENT PAY CUT
Rod Brind'Amour C $3.8 million
Martin Gerber G $1.1 million
Bret Hedican D $2.4 million
Frantisek Kaberle D $1.3 million
Eric Staal C $942,000
Niclas Wallin D $836,000
Aaron Ward D $1.5 million
Cam Ward G $570,000
EXPIRED AFTER 2003-04 SEASON
Josef Vasicek C
EXPIRED AFTER 2004-05 SEASON
Kevyn Adams C
Ryan Bayda LW
J. Boulerice RW
Pavel Brendl RW
Erik Cole RW
Matt Cullen C
Marty Murray C
Jeff O'Neill RW
Allan Rourke D
B. St. Jacques D
Radim Vrbata RW
x-Glen Wesley D
Justin Williams RW
Mike Zigomanis C
Carolina Hurricanes forward Kevyn Adams, the team's NHLPA player representative, has been working out at his offseason home in upstate New York and plans to start skating soon with a group of Buffalo-based NHLers.
"From what I'm hearing, they've continued to make progress over the last few weeks and they're getting extremely close to getting this thing done," Adams said. "They can't rush it because there are so many details they have to cover. They can't miss anything.
"All of us are optimistic we'll get a deal done. We're all preparing for a season next year."
Even when a deal is done, there is another hurdle to clear. Both the NHL's Board of Governors and the NHLPA membership will have to ratify the deal. While it's a no-brainer for the league, many within the union are waiting to see the terms in detail before they agree to the cap.
"There are so many things firing around, you don't know what to believe," Hurricanes forward Erik Cole said. "There are a couple different scenarios out there. You really don't know."
Either way, the NHL that fans once knew is dead forever. In its place, a new league with a new economic system and new rules will emerge this fall. Will it be better? That remains to be seen. Look for:
* The shootout to end tied games, after a few minutes of four-on-four overtime and a few minutes of three-on-three overtime.
"For us to have a shootout and to know that at some point ESPN will be carrying it as the decisive factor of a game, that's huge," said Hurricanes defenseman Aaron Ward. "In Europe, people stayed in their seats to watch the shootout if it was a tight game. I'm all about it -- especially because I'm not going to be one of the players chosen to take the breakaway."
* A salary cap that requires teams to spend between approximately $25 million and $40 million on payroll. In 2003-04, the Hurricanes spent about $39 million; the Detroit Red Wings spent about $77 million.
* A one-time buyout plan to allow over-the-cap teams to shed salaries, with the proviso that players who are cut loose cannot re-sign with the same team.
* The biggest free-agent bazaar in NHL history. Between expired contracts, free-agency changes and the buyout rule, the market will be flooded with players -- reshaping rosters and scrambling address books.
* A competition committee composed of four active players, four general managers and one owner, replacing the GMs and NHL hockey-operations department as the primary arbiters of rule changes.
* Smaller equipment on goaltenders, particularly on their upper bodies.
* New on-ice markings to allow passing into the offensive zone from farther back on the ice, to prevent goalies from playing the puck in front of their net and to increase the size of the neutral zone.
* The acceptance of long-debated changes such as no-touch icing and tag-up offsides.
* A weighted draft lottery to determine draft order, with Sidney Crosby, a player some scouts compare to Wayne Gretzky, the prize at No. 1.
Not all change will be radical. The goals, for example, will be the same size after experiments earlier this summer failed to generate momentum for change. But the alterations to the game will likely be outshined this summer by the changes to rosters.
When the dust settles, Carolina's roster could look substantially different than it did at the end of 2004, and the Hurricanes won't be alone in that regard.
The Canes have been expecting this for years, signing few players beyond the 2003-04 season with an eye to maximum financial flexibility in an auction-block scenario. They have eight players under contract for next season, at a post-rollback total of around $12.4 million. Factoring in rough estimates of restricted free-agent deals, they would enter the auction with a payroll at about $19 million for 18 players.
"We're in a good position to be flexible to make decisions not only on future players that we can consider bringing here, but on present players as far as where they fit into our pay scale," Carolina general manager Jim Rutherford said.
"As far as that goes, we've positioned ourselves pretty well, but it's hard to say how well because we don't know exactly what the system is. What is the floor? What is the ceiling? Given what we know so far, we feel pretty good about where we are."
There will be new faces even before the free-agent bonanza. Cam Ward, the Canes' first-round draft pick in 2002, will be part of an all-new goalie tandem with Martin Gerber. And 2004 first-round pick Andrew Ladd may follow 2003 first-round pick Eric Staal's quick path to the NHL after an outstanding junior playoff campaign.
Look for the Canes to use their hoarded cap space to sign a few forwards with offensive ability and at least one capable right-shot defenseman, with free-agent center Jason Allison also a possibility. Allison is close to Canes coach Peter Laviolette and met with the team last summer, but hasn't played since January 2003 because of a series of head injuries.
Where they'll fall in the cap range is uncertain, but Rutherford cautioned not to expect the Canes to spend the limit.
"Our direction is to run a business in the future without losses, a break-even business," Rutherford said. "It's a difficult projection without knowing the CBA and revenue sharing. The same as any business, we make projections on revenue. It's a little more difficult for us, not having a business running the prior year."
Still, the Canes hope that eliminating the disparities between low-spending teams like Carolina and high-spending teams like Toronto will result in a more competitive atmosphere at the RBC Center. In seven seasons in North Carolina, the Hurricanes have won two division titles, but have made the playoffs only three times with an overall record of 227-241-86-20 and no 40-win seasons.
Either way, the battle that kept the game off the ice all season is expected to be settled soon. There will be a salary cap in the NHL, one that the players who fought against it have come to accept.
"There were a lot of people asking questions, confused, because of where there was a stand made before," Adams said. "The reality of the situation was that we as players and owners and management had to come together and make this league better. We couldn't focus on systemic issues as much as we needed to focus on what's best for all of us and the game. That's how it got to where it did."